Thursday, October 05, 2006

Heroin Deaths expected to rise

It looks like this is going to be a good year for the black market of heroin. The UN has reported an increase in the opuim production in Afganistan. Opuim is the raw material to make heroin and the production has increased in Afganistan by almost 50%. The UN warns that the death total from heroin will be higher this year because of the increase in production. The increase in deaths can be attributed to the lower price of heroin. On a typical supply and demand graph: as the supply of heroin goes up the supply curve will shift making it cheaper so people who couldn't aford it before or who wouldn't try it at the higher price will now join in. The UN has found that is not the case. What ends up happening is that the purity level of the heroin goes up the price does not go down. In this case it makes it more deadly for those who are used to a certain level, they over does do to the purity.
I think that more money will now be needed to fight the war on drugs in this country. This could mean higher taxes or sacrifices to other humanitarian needs. However it is delt with there will be an increase in deaths this year to do heroin.

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